‘I don’t know if I will ever fully trust people again’: Victims speak out as ‘very dangerous’ sexual predator who targeted straight men to drug and then rape because he thought they would not report attacks is jailed for 22 years
- Luiz Inacio da Silva Neto, 32, was convicted of drugging and assaulting two men
- He sexually assaulted at least two men and targeted heterosexuals for attacks
- Neto believed that straight men would be less likely to report him for rape
Victims are speaking out after a ‘very dangerous’ sexual predator who drugged and raped straight men was jailed for 22 years.
Luiz Inacio Da Silva Neto, 36, deliberately targeted straight men as he believed they would be less likely to report him to police.
He was convicted by a jury of drugging and sexually assaulting two men whom he attacked at his Oxfordshire home.
Luiz Inacio Da Silva Neto (pictured during a police interview), 36, deliberately targeted straight men as he believed they would be less likely to report him to police
Neto (pictured without any trousers on as he was arrested) was convicted by a jury of drugging and sexually assaulting two men whom he attacked at his Oxfordshire home
Following a trial, Da Silva Neto was found guilty by a majority jury of: Two counts of administering a substance with intent to stupefy/overpower to allow sexual activity; One count of rape; Two counts of causing a male aged 13 or over to engage in a penetrative sexual activity without consent.
He was previously convicted of seven drug possession offences.
One of his victims said: ‘Whilst I have little memory of that night, I unfortunately had to hear of the awful things this man did to me against my will. It is something I will have to live with for the rest of my life and will cross my mind every day…
Following a trial, Da Silva Neto was found guilty by a majority jury of: Two counts of administering a substance with intent to stupefy/overpower to allow sexual activity; One count of rape; Two counts of causing a male aged 13 or over to engage in a penetrative sexual activity without consent
‘I cannot bear the feelings of stress, terror and anxiety that it causes me, on top of everything else…
I take great comfort knowing that I have been able to support the police in making sure this never happens again and that I was able to break the chain and protect others from this monster.’
And another said: ‘The feeling of being drugged was horrendous and a feeling I will never forget for as long as I live…
Victim statements in full
Victim A: ‘I went out with my colleagues. The next morning I woke up miles from home in a strange house with a man I have never met. The sense of panic I felt that morning is indescribable and I have never been so terrified in my life. Calling my wife crying and screaming down the phone is a memory she can never forget and has left her traumatised. The weeks that ensued were incredibly difficult for myself and all those close to me, sleepless nights and severe anxiety requiring me and my wife to take time off work.
‘Whilst I have little memory of that night, I unfortunately had to hear of the awful things this man did to me against my will. It is something I will have to live with for the rest of my life and will cross my mind every day.
‘I have decided not to take my right to read my victim impact statement in court in person, as it has taken every bit of strength I have to keep trying to live every day as a normal person and every time I receive a call from the police, an email or have to attend an appointment relating to that night it takes me right back to the moment where I woke up in that house. I cannot bear the feelings of stress, terror and anxiety that it causes me, on top of everything else.
‘I am lucky to have an amazing support system around me and my wife, friends and family have got me through this. I take great comfort knowing that I have been able to support the police in making sure this never happens again and that I was able to break the chain and protect others from this monster. I would like to deeply thank all those involved with the case for your ongoing support and success in bringing this person to justice.’
Victim B: ‘That night in November 2021, my life changed forever, as a person I have changed and will never ever be the same again. I trusted him. I feel if he could do that to someone he knew, what could he do to someone he didn’t know, or someone younger than me?
‘The feeling of being drugged was horrendous and a feeling I will never forget for as long as I live. I felt instantly like I wanted to sleep, I felt like I needed to lay down, I could barely stand on my feet, my speech wouldn’t come out. Then I came too whilst he was doing what he did, and this is something that will live with me for the rest of my lift, an image I replay over and over in my mind. Being unable to move or speak, but to know what was happening is a feeling I will never ever be able to forget or describe to anyone.
‘Directly following what happened, I was unable to sleep, eat, or talk to anyone about what had happened and I felt like I walked around in a trance for days and it made me feel like I was losing my mind. I felt like what had happened to me was eating me up from the inside. It’s the worst experience I have ever lived through or survived.
‘Even now, eight months later, I have been unable to tell my family or any of my friends about what happened. How can I tell them about this? What words would I use? So I live with this alone every day.
‘I’m heterosexual. I’m catholic. This has had a huge effect on both of those parts of my life. I feel it has already, and it will affect future intimate relationships. I have always loved female company but at the moment I feel unable to get into a relationship. Since this, I just don’t feel able to socialise with people. I hope one day I will be able to, but at the moment I just can’t cope with going out and being with people and I’m not sure how I will be able to move forward with this part of my life.
‘Sometimes I still lose my vision and my hearing, and I feel the only thing that helps is laying in a cold bath of water to try and calm myself down. I have panic attacks and just struggle to cope with everything, I then can’t sleep which doesn’t help my mental wellbeing. I have been diagnosed with PTSD. I regularly see a counsellor and a psychologist.
‘I still get really angry about what he did to me, and how it’s made me feel and had forever changed me as a person. I can never again be the fun-loving person who loved to go out with friends. I don’t know if I will ever fully trust people again. How can I when someone I knew could do something like that to me?
‘In the eyes of the law this may be over now, but for me I will have to live with what he did to me forever and nothing will change that.’
‘Then I came too whilst he was doing what he did, and this is something that will live with me for the rest of my lift, an image I replay over and over in my mind…
‘Even now, eight months later, I have been unable to tell my family or any of my friends about what happened. How can I tell them about this? What words would I use? So I live with this alone every day…
‘Sometimes I still lose my vision and my hearing, and I feel the only thing that helps is laying in a cold bath of water to try and calm myself down. I have panic attacks and just struggle to cope with everything, I then can’t sleep which doesn’t help my mental wellbeing. I have been diagnosed with PTSD. I regularly see a counsellor and a psychologist…
‘I don’t know if I will ever fully trust people again. How can I when someone I knew could do something like that to me?’
The jury cleared him of one count of kidnapping; one count of committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence; One count of administering a substance with intent to stupefy/overpower to allow sexual activity.
A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said today: ‘On November 10 last year, the first victim, a man, was with Da Silva Neto at a property in Middle Barton, Oxfordshire.
‘They both had some alcoholic drinks, when the victim started to feel tired and lost consciousness. Later, the victim awoke to find Da Silva Neto sexually assaulting him.
‘However, the victim couldn’t move his limbs due the effects of drugs that Da Silva Neto had administered in the drinks the victim had consumed earlier in the evening.
‘A month later, on December 10, Da Silva Neto, whose address was given as Riverlight Quay, Wandsworth, south London, targeted his second victim, another man. The victim was enjoying a night out at a bar in Chelsea, Central London.
‘Upon leaving the bar, the victim tried to organise a taxi, when he encountered Da Silva Neto who was driving a vehicle in the area. The victim cannot remember any further details about the rest of the evening, other than being forced to consume a short drink.
‘When the victim awoke the next day he was in an unknown property, which Thames Valley Police later established was the same property in Middle Barton in which the first victim was sexually assaulted. This victim had been drugged and raped by Da Silva Neto.
‘During the trial, the prosecution presented evidence that Da Silva Neto had spent the earlier part of the evening of December 10, approaching males in public toilets and attempting to engage with them.
‘The prosecution also presented evidence of Da Silva Neto’s possession, use and knowledge of the effects of Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) and Gamma-butyrolactone (GBL), substances, which in appropriate dosages can anesthetise, incapacitate or effect the consumer’s ability to recall events without necessarily immobilising them completely.’
Investigating officer, Detective Inspector James Holden-White said: ‘I am pleased that Luiz Inacio Da Silva Neto has been jailed for 22 years for his heinous crimes. Da Silva Neto is a sexual predator and a very dangerous man, as such the streets are a much safer place with him behind bars.
‘Da Silva Neto used what presents as a well-practised modus operandi; targeting men, administering a substance to incapacitate and overpower his chosen victim, and then engaging in sexual activity with them, knowing they are not in a position to consent.
‘Da Silva Neto deliberately targeted heterosexual men whom he believed would be especially unlikely to report the offences to police, but he was wrong. The two victims have shown immense bravery throughout and it is because of them that Da Silva Neto has been convicted and jailed.
‘We are keeping an open mind as to the possibility that Da Silva Neto has committed other offences.
‘Therefore, if you have any information regarding this investigation please contact Thames Valley Police via the following email address [email protected]’
Source: Read Full Article
